Laptop Logic has
scored some insider information on the one of the projects brewing in NVIDIA's
secret labs. According to sources close to the company, NVIDIA is working on a
new kind of SLI technology for notebook designs. Instead of pairing two
identical GPUs for increased performance, NVIDIA is going for a pairing of
integrated and discrete GPUs for a balance of power and performance.

The concept of pairing up a low-power integrated GPU with a
high-power discrete GPU is nothing new. Sony has already treaded through these
waters with its VAIO
SZ lineup which features Intel GMA950 and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 GPUs. This
setup requires an external switch to make the transition and also requires a
system reboot. NVIDIA's "SLI Power"
on the other hand will be done through a combination of hardware and software,
but will not require a reboot of the machine to take place.

Considering the complexities involved with Windows XP
graphics drivers and the additional level of complication added by Vista's new
Windows Driver Display Model (WDDM), NVIDIA surely has its work cut out in
making the transition a smooth one. There's no telling how much such a feature
would add to the cost of a notebook, but it probably won't come cheap.

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